Tree Frog Forestry News

Daily Archives: August 7, 2014

Business & Politics

Resolute Forest Seeking to Acquire or Build Lumber Mills

Bloomberg News

August 6, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada

Resolute Forest Products Inc. (RFP), the world’s largest newsprint maker, is seeking to reduce its reliance on the low-grade paper by expanding its Canadian solid wood-products business into the U.S. Already North America’s fifth-largest lumber producer, Resolute has been assessing potential opportunities to buy or construct U.S. lumber mills, Chief Executive Officer Richard Garneau said last week in a telephone interview. “The likelihood for us doing acquisitions or building greenfield lumber mills is greatest in the U.S. South and the Southeast,” where Resolute has pulp and paper mills, he said. “We always look for synergies.”

B.C. First Nation orders rail, forestry out

The Canadian Press

August 6, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada, Canada West

TERRACE, B.C. – It’s business as usual in a large swath of land in northwestern British Columbia, despite escalating tensions spurred by an eviction order from the Gitxsan First Nation. The First Nation issued notice last month to sport fishermen, forest companies and Canadian National Railway that they would have to stop all activities in the 33,000 square kilometres of its territories near Terrace, B.C. by Aug. 4. The First Nation has been in a protracted treaty dispute with the federal and provincial governments.

Gitxsan First Nation says CN Rail blockade was just the start of fight over land

Railway says there were no stoppages from last night’s blockade

CBC News

August 6, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada, Canada West

A First Nation that blocked a CN Rail line in northwestern British Columbia this week due to an ongoing territory dispute with the federal government says it will continue to fight for its lands and rights. Gitxsan members shut down a stretch of CN’s railway in the disputed territory for eight hours beginning at 10 p.m. PT Tuesday, a representative said Wednesday morning. Beverley Clifton Percival, the Gwaans, or negotiator, for the Gitxsan Treaty Society, said the blockade came after a two-year-long stalled effort to have the federal government rescind its offer of those lands to two Tsimshian? bands.

B.C.’s coroner says one inquest will be held for two deadly sawmill blasts

The Canadian Press

August 6, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada, Canada West

VICTORIA – B.C.’s Coroners’ Service has announced it will hold a single public inquest into the deaths of four sawmill workers who died in separate explosions in 2012. Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe will preside over the inquest looking into the blasts at the Babine Forest Products mill in Burns Lake and the Lakeland mill in Prince George. Lapointe says the decision to hold the single inquest was made after reviewing the information surrounding the deaths and a careful examination of the issues common to both explosions.

CN Rail says no aboriginal blockade on railway along Skeena River

Vancouver Sun

August 6, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada, Canada West

Canadian National Railway said late Wednesday that it was business as usual along the Skeena River in northwestern B.C., following a claim by the Gitxsan First Nation that members may begin blockading the railway Tuesday evening. …Mark Hallman, a spokesman for CN Rail, acknowledged that the Gitxsan have asked the company to cease operating trains between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., but said operations are continuing as normal. “Only the British Columbia and federal governments are in a position to address the outstanding issues,” he said, adding that as of late

Northern Pulp mill ‘significant’ to forestry sector, industry argues

Nova Scotia forestry industry includes more than 5,000 employees

CBC News

August 6, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada East, Canada

Members of Nova Scotia’s forestry industry say hundreds of jobs outside the Northern Pulp mill could be at stake if the mill is forced to shut down because of complaints about emissions. Jeff Bishop, the executive director of the Forest Products Association of Nova Scotia, is worried about what may happen if the provincial government orders Northern Pulp to close before it has a chance to resolve its emissions issues. He said the mill will take with it hundreds of jobs for people who cut and haul wood.

FPANS encourages patience on Northern Pulp mill upgrades.

Truro Daily News

August 6, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada East, Canada

HILDEN – Shutting down the Northern Pulp mill in Pictou because of environmental-emission concerns would create a province-wide negative impact, an “Forestry is a vital industry in Nova Scotia,” said Jeff Bishop, executive director of the Forest Products Association of Nova Scotia (FPANS). “It is a part of our past. It is a bright, green key to our future. And it is the backbone of the rural economy,” he said in a news release. Bishop said that shutting down the mill, instead of waiting until May when the parts required to lower the emissions are expected to be installed, would result in further shutdowns and job losses across the province.

Councillors fed up with pulp mill breaking rules

The New Glasgow News

August 6, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada East, Canada

PICTOU – There are two sets of rules for business in this province depending on what size of company you operate, says a local county councillor. Coun. Robert Parker, who is also a small business owner, said he would never be able to get away with the same infractions that Northern Pulp is doing with its emissions. “In my business, if I was breaking any environmental laws, I would be closed down,” he said. “I wouldn’t be given any leeway.”

Nova Scotia exports up 50 per cent in first half of 2014: APEC report

Chronicle Herald

August 7, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada East, Canada

Nova Scotia’s economy has been buoyed by gains in export sectors, despite factors such as weakening employment and retail spending and a slowdown in home construction being felt across the entire region, says a report released Wednesday. …There has also been an increase in lobster and wood pulp exports. …“The forestry sector is showing pockets of strength as well in parts of the region because of the recovering U.S. housing market and boosting exports of lumber to the U.S.”

Northern Pulp mill situation is ‘very dire’ says Peter MacKay

Peter MacKay, the MP for Central Nova, said the federal government is watching the “dire” situation at the Northern Pulp mill but would not weigh in on how to resolve the problem. MacKay represents the area that includes Pictou, where locals have reported smog from the Abercrombie Point mill gets into their clothes, homes, cars and lungs. They say the haze from the mill has a sulphur-like smell and drifts across the town. “The federal environment minister is aware as well of these concerns. And obviously the economic impact in Pictou County is something that is of great concern as well, having recently lost jobs at Michelin,
Convergys,” MacKay said Tuesday.

Lumber and log imports to China picked up in the 2Q to reach close to record highs; Russian lumber and New Zealand logs increased the most

Wood Resources International

August 5, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: International

Seattle, USA. A slowdown in the Chinese economy impacted the construction sector in early 2014 resulting in a decline in lumber import volumes by 16% in the 1Q/14 as compared to the previous quarter. The biggest drop was in Canadian lumber shipments, which fell to their lowest levels in two years, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ). The reduced activities in the building sector during the winter months also impacted log import volumes to China, but it was more of a break in the upward trend rather than a decline, with the 1Q/14 imports being about the same as in the 4Q/13.

Forestry

N.W.T. gov’t sounds out feds on military help with fires

$36 million spent so far this year on fighting wildfires, says ENR minister

CBC News

August 6, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: Canada, Canada West

The Northwest Territories government is sounding out federal officials about military help with fighting wildfires in the territory. Michael Miltenberger, the minister of Environment and Natural Resources, says the growing number of fires in Alberta and British Columbia are putting a strain on resources that are available from other provinces and territories. He says Northwest Territories residents should be proud of what firefighters have done, but the crews have been working non-stop for six weeks, are taxed to the limit and may need additional help.

Australia to aid B.C.’s wildfire response efforts

Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations

BC Government

August 6, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: Canada, Canada West

KAMLOOPS – With wildfire activity increasing throughout the province, Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson announced today that a contingent of specialized wildfire personnel from Australia will be coming to B.C. to assist with wildfire response. About 80 personnel are scheduled to arrive in Vancouver in several groups from Saturday, Aug. 9 through Monday, Aug. 11. They include two Type 1 Incident Management Teams (10 people each), incident commanders, fire behaviour specialists, aircraft co-ordinators and support staff. B.C. has not requested ground crews from Australia.

Storms lead to wildfires in national parks

Calgary Herald

August 6, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: Canada, Canada West

Lightning started three fires in the mountain parks on the long weekend, but they’ve all been put out by crews. On Saturday night, a storm led to a wildfire around Castle Mountain in Banff National Park and another two in the south end of Kootenay National Park. “We actioned those with initial attackers and, as of now, extinguished them all,” said Jed Cochrane, fire and vegetation specialist with Parks Canada. “We worked on them for two days and put all three out.” Cochrane said the storm brought some rain, but the rating is still moderate to high in the mountain parks.

New Fires Popping Up Throughout The Province

250 News

August 6, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: Canada, Canada West

Prince George, B.C.- There were 14 new fires in the Prince George fire centre yesterday, another 5 discovered today. All but one were believed to have been started by lighting strikes. A this point, none of the fires is over 10 hectares in size. “There is no one area that is seeing more fires than another” PG Fire Centre spokesperson Jill Kelsh “We are seeing them pop up throughout the Prince George Fire Centre”. The fire danger rating throughout the Fire Centre is high to extreme, and there is no relief in sight.

Why the new forestry sign?

Nelson Star

August 7, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: Canada, Canada West

Has the forests ministry fallen to the current bureaucratic craze? …Now the forestry ministry has replaced its old fire danger warning sign (low, moderate, high, extreme) with a new one that looks like the product of a session with an art consultant. A very fine sign probably costing a mint but with two glaring faults that negate its usefulness. First, coming towards Nelson there is no visible cautionary statement at all.

Emerald ash borer leaves 6-month wait for tree removal

City crews predict waits of between 4 and 6 months to remove infested trees

CBC News

August 7, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: Canada East, Canada

Ottawa residents hoping to say goodbye to their trees ravaged by the emerald ash borer might have to wait as long as half a year before city crews show up to cut it down. The forestry services branch at the City of Ottawa said there are about 4,400 trees on the waiting list to be cut down and removed. That means some residents could wait between four and six months for crews to arrive to take away trees infested with ash borer. The city’s forestry services manager said the wait is tied to a method
that aims to be more efficient with its marking of infested trees.

Foresters Now Monitoring Tree Populations from Space

Scientists know surprisingly little about what is growing in our forests. New techniques for analyzing satellite data are about to change that

Scientific American

August 6, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: United States

Forests are notoriously difficult to manage. Trees grow slowly, under the influence of variables ranging from global climate to local soil. Yet invasive species, native pests or catastrophic wildfires can spread lasting destruction within days. With 305.5 million hectares of forest in the U.S. alone, monitoring that much woody real estate has traditionally been largely a guessing game. A new movement in forest management is trying to change this, coupling satellite images with tree-counting algorithms and other technologies in ways that promise to give foresters, ecologists and lumber companies the lay of the land quickly and more comprehensively.

Vilsack says Forest Service will soon tap other programs to pay for firefighting expenses

Associated Press

August 5, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: United States

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Forest Service will soon have to scale back some projects designed to help prevent wildfires so that it can meet the expenses of fighting this summer’s round of fires. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Tuesday that about $400 million to $500 million in projects will have to be put on hold in what has become a routine exercise toward the end of the fiscal year. He predicted that the money set aside strictly for firefighting will run out by the end of August.

U.S. Forest Service Will Award $14 Million for Working Forests

USDA Forest Service

August 6, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: United States

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that the U.S. Forest Service will award more than $14 million in funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to seven Forest Legacy Program projects aimed at protecting over 28,000 acres of working forests. “These investments strengthen each community’s economic and ecological base,” said Vilsack. “Conserving critical landscapes, like the working forests protected through the Forest Legacy Program, provides opportunities to reconnect Americans to the outdoors and maintain benefits forests provide like clean air, clean water, and wildlife habitat, while expanding recreation benefits and the economic opportunities they represent.”

Amid respite, West readies for more wildfires

Associated Press

August 6, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: United States, US West

BURNEY, Calif. — Wildfires, like earthquakes, are a frightening fact of life in California, just more predictable. So as thousands of firefighters made progress in taming more than a dozen blazes that have pockmarked the northern half of the state, fire officials and anxious residents of drought-afflicted rural communities breathed a shallow sigh of relief they knew might not last long. Light rain and an infusion of personnel and equipment from as far away as San Diego allowed fire crews to continue gaining momentum Wednesday on a pair of wildfires that exploded over the weekend in a national forest filled with moisture-starved fallen trees and have burned more than 110 square miles, officials said.

Idaho residents sentenced for theft of wood from U.S. Forest Service

On Your Side Newsroom

August 6, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: United States, US West

Two Wilder, Idaho men have been sentenced to three years probation after cutting down trees illegally from the forest and selling them. Terry Burton, 46, and his son, Brent L. Burton, 23 created an illegal trail in the Malheur National Forest and cut down lodgepole pines without permits. The Burtons then sold the trees to Parma Post and Pole in Parma, Idaho. Officials found the duo had caused $1,380 in environmental damage to the National Forest by leaving 425 visible stumps, and causing damage to small trees and trails with an ATV and trailer.

Rowena wildfire threatening up to 170 homes between Mosier and The Dalles

The Oregonian

August 6, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: United States, US West

MOSIER — Pushed along by 25- to 30-mph wind gusts, a fast-moving wildfire raced along the scenic overlooks between Mosier and The Dalles Wednesday, threatening as many as 170 homes. Officials said about 70 families were put on a level 3 evacuation (go!) notice, with another 100 residences put on level 1 notice, which means get ready to leave. The Rowena fire started Tuesday night shortly after sunset and quickly spread along steep slopes dotted with timber, oak and dry grass about 75 miles east of Portland in the Columbia River Gorge.

Resources Become Scarce As Fire Season Heats Up

Oregon Public Broadcasting

August 6, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: United States, US West

The Pacific Northwest fire season burns on, but officials say that the region is running out of resources to battle the latest blazes. In fact, Wallowa County officials ordered residents of the Imnaha River corridor to be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice Tuesday. The Five Mile wildfire just a mile south of Imnaha and the Somer wildfire in Hells Canyon Wilderness continue to burn toward the area, but only so many tankers and retardant planes are available. Combined, the fires cover more than 4,400 acres in eastern Oregon.

It’s time to move forward

PIERRE — An important method of preventing the mountain pine beetle from killing trees involves forest management, and that is the intention of an aggressive forestry plan initiated in South Dakota to control it from spreading any further. After killing nearly 25 percent of the Black Hills National Forest, the small insect lives most of its life in the inner bark of pine trees, which results in the death of that tree. In 2005, officials requested that the original forestry plan be amended
to make the process more efficient to allow for logging and prescribed
burning methods

Oregon Governor Says Wildfires Point To Need For Forest Thinning

NPR

August 6, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: United States, US West

Gov. John Kitzhaber followed his Wednesday tour of Oregon’s biggest wildfire by calling for Congress pay for forest health projects that would thin overgrown forests and reduce future fire danger. “These fires are a symptom of a much larger forest health issue,” he said at the Howard Prairie Lake campground, which is being used as base camp fighting the Oregon Gulch fire. “We just have to deal with the root causes. That means lending some urgency to improving the health and resiliency of our forests…”

Humidity helps crews fighting California wildfires

Associated Press

August 5, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: United States, US West

BURNEY, Calif. — Thunderstorms that brought light rain and increased humidity to Northern California helped crews make progress Tuesday against two large wildfires that threatened hundreds of homes but also raised the possibility of new lightning-sparked blazes in the region. The two fires were burning in the Lassen National Forest. The smaller of the two was within sight of the small Shasta County town of Burney, though officials said it remained about 4 miles away after showing almost no growth overnight. The small town of 3,000 was filled with smoke from the blaze, but businesses were open as usual.

Forest owners gird for losses in largest Swedish fire on record

Helsinki Times

August 7, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: International

Forest owners are preparing for large losses as French water-bombing planes arrived to help emergency services gain control of the biggest forest fire in Sweden’s modern history. One reconnaissance aircraft and two water-bombing planes arrived from France, Fredrik Eriksson, an emergency service spokesman, said Wednesday by phone. They will start work “as soon as possible,” using water from the nearby lake Aamaenningen or from lake Maelaren, south of the engulfed area. Two Italian planes are also on their way.

Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Pellet plant

letter from Kym Lorentz

Vernon Morning Star

August 6, 2014

Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Region: Canada, Canada West

I am writing in response to the article in The Morning Star by Jennifer Smith entitled “Residents gain a second say on plant,” relating to the proposed pellet plant in Lavington. I have spoken with many Lavington residents who do not feel the article was representative of the views of much of the community. The article indicated that the train traffic and noise is a primary concern for residents. That is simply not the case for the residents I’ve spoken with.